What we know about Latinx nonprofit leadership, staff, and fundraising

National Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15-October 15) is here—a good time to highlight what we know about Hispanic or Latinx nonprofit leadership, staff, and fundraisers and the challenges they face. Here are a few resources: 

Latinx nonprofit leaders are underrepresented 

What do we know about the representation of Latinx nonprofit leaders at the executive level and how Latinx nonprofit workers are faring financially compared to their white colleagues? 

What to know about U.S. nonprofit sector demographics. This article highlights top findings from Candid’s 2024 report, The state of diversity in the U.S. nonprofit sector, based on data shared between 2019 and 2024. Individuals identifying as Hispanic/Latino were particularly underrepresented at the leadership level, accounting for 19% of all nonprofit workers but just 6% of executives. 

Did nonprofit leadership become more racially diverse after 2020? Following the demonstrations for racial justice in 2020, there was a greater push to address inequities in the social sector as well. So, have we closed the racial gap in nonprofit leadership? Mantin Diomande, Candid’s lead research analyst, found that there were no major shifts in the overall racial representation of nonprofit CEOs in the sector overall; only 2% of the organizations in the dataset indicated a change in the CEO’s race/ethnicity between 2020 and 2023. However, when there was a change, it was often a shift from a white CEO to a BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, or people of color) CEO. 

Strengthening communities by supporting the nonprofit workforce. A report from Independent Sector (IS) and United For ALICE found that one in five nonprofit workers struggle to afford the basics, and that in 2022, Hispanic/Latinx employees were twice as likely to live paycheck to paycheck as white workers (34% vs. 17%). IS president and CEO Dr. Akilah Watkins and United for ALICE director Dr. Stephanie Hoopes ask: “Is there a realistic pathway from non-management to management, to executive-level positions for all employees, regardless of race?” 

Giving to Latinx nonprofits and communities of color overall remain limited 

What does the data say about philanthropic support for Latinx nonprofits? Here are two articles about giving in support of communities of color. 

5 takeaways on giving to nonprofits serving communities of color. A study by the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy found that nonprofits primarily dedicated to serving communities of color received 2.9% of total charitable giving in 2022. Those serving Latinx communities received just 0.26%. And while foundations report increasing giving to nonprofits serving Latinx communities in recent years, from 2012 to 2022, this study found growth in expenses outpaced the growth in philanthropic support.  

Are corporations making good on their racial equity pledges? As of July 2021, Candid had identified 121 pledges for racial equity worth $7.8 billion from 96 corporate funders. These pledges—commitments to dedicate a particular amount of funding over time to unspecified recipients—included support for increased Latinx representation across corporate echelons but most did not provide details. Moreover, Candid senior lead researcher Anna Koob and former communications and outreach manager Adia Colar point out, corporations are not required to report whether they’ve fulfilled these pledges, so the reality of corporate support for Latinx and other communities of color remains unclear. 

Efforts to bolster Latinx nonprofit fundraising 

What is being—or can be—done to increase support for Latinx nonprofits? These articles highlight a few trends and efforts: 

Supporting Latinx nonprofits by training leaders and fundraisers. Armando Enrique Zumaya, founder and executive director of Somos el Poder, notes that these organizations overwhelmingly have small budgets and limited staffing and fundraising capacity. He shares lessons learned from his work helping Latinx-serving nonprofits improve and diversify their fundraising, including: be culturally competent, be “ridiculously accessible” to small nonprofits, and educate grantmakers about Latinx nonprofits. 

The power of small grants and deep listening to fund the ‘unfundable’. Boston Women’s Fund executive director Natanja Craig Oquendo highlights BWF’s history of awarding small grants to “those who’d been left out of consideration among traditional large-scale philanthropic institutions: women, girls, and gender-expansive people who identify as Black, brown, low-income, LGBTQ+, disabled, immigrants, and refugees.” A participatory grantmaking model that centers community members who are closest to the issue—and therefore also the solution—and demonstrates trust and transparency, she argues, also enables small nonprofits to secure support from larger funders. 

Giving circles can strengthen collective action. Here’s how. Giving circles are often cited as an example of grassroots giving by women of color—including Latinas. Tyeshia Wilson, senior director of community at Philanthropy Together and chair of HERitage Giving Fund, notes that the Latino Giving Circle Network® at the Latino Community Foundation recently expanded its grantmaking to include get-out-the-vote investments. Giving circles can serve as catalysts for broad social change as well as community development, she writes. 

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